SGER: Amplification & Detection of Trace Quantities of Biological and Chemical Agents using High Surface Area Membranes and an Ultrafast Planar Array IR Spectrograph

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Professor John Rabolt of the University of Delaware and Dr. Bruce Chase of Dupont Corporate R&D Experimental Station are working to develop a portable infrared focal plane array spectrometer for the real-time detection of chemical and biological agents in gases. The method has the potential to deliver infrared absorbance information on a time scale of 100's of microseconds. High surface area polymers produced by electrospinning will be utilized to concentrate trace quantities of toxic analytes. The method has the potential to amplifiy and produce IR spectra of aerosol droplets and particulates that cannot be detected in the gas phase due to their size and/or transmissivity. The rugged instrument can sample in real time and would have applications in national security, environmental and industrial process monitoring. One specific target analyte in this project is a sarin surrogate.This award is supported jointly by the NSF and the Intelligence Community. The Approaches to Combat Terrorism Program in the Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences supports new concepts in basic research and workforce development with the potential to contribute to national security.